Feed-gage.



No.-78 5,627. I PATENI'ED MAR.21, 1905.

E. L. MEGILL. I

FEED GAGE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 25, 1903- w/rwssss; INVENTOI? W Edward L. Meypll.

Patented March 21, 1905.

PATENT ()EFICE.

EDWARD L. MEGILL, OF NEW' YORK, N. Y.

FEED-GAGE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent NO. 785,627, dated March 21, 1905.

Application filed April 25, 1903. Serial No. 154,214.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD L. MEGILL, a citizen of the United States, residing in the borough of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and the city and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Feed-Gages, of which the following is a full and complete specification.

This invention relates to feed-gages or sheetguides for platen printing-presses; and the object of the invention is to provide a gage that may be firmly secured in the tympan or sheet drawn over the platen, so as to be readily adjustable thereon, and in such a manner that it will not unlit the tympan for further use in printing succeeding jobs.

Other minor or detail features of the invention will be referred to and explained hereinafter, these features relating mainly to the form of the gage-head and to the manner of constructing the spring-clamp.

In the accompanying drawings, which serve to illustrate the invention, Figure 1 is a plan View of a platen, on a relatively small scale, showing two of the improved gages mounted thereon. Fig. 2 is a plan of the gage. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section thereof at line B in Fig. 2. Fig. 4. is a transverse section of the gage substantially at line :0 in Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a front view of the gage. Fig. 6 shows the shape of the gage-plate of the gage before the gage-head is formed thereon.

It is very desirable in using a platen-press to be able to preserve the tympan on .the platen against defacement as far as possible in affixing and adjusting the gages thereon. It has been found that points forced through the tympan tear and bulge it and that gages requiring a piece taken out of it or a slit cut through the tympan across .the direction of the feed unfit it for subsequent use, as it affects the impression and checks or interferes with the feeding of the sheets. To this end it is desirable that slits, if slits must be cut in the tympan for securing the gages thereto, be sharply cut and extend in a line parallel with the direction of the feed, or approximately so. To this end the present gage is constructed so as to adapt itself to an attaching-slit of the character described.

In Fig. 1, G designates the gage as a whole; T, the tympan on the platen; P, the platen; C, the bails on the platen to hold the tympan;

and S, a sheet of paper to be printed, said sheet resting on the tympan. The bottom of the platen is that part farthest from the operator, or that at the upper side of Fig. 1.

The gage Gr is constructed as follows: 1 is the upper or gage plate, which rests on the tympan, and 2 is the lower or clamping plate, which is passed through a slit in the tympan and takes under the latter. The tympan is clamped between them in securing the gage in position. The plates 1 and 2 are preferably connected together at one side in such a manner that under normal conditions they will spring apart at their free edges on the side opposite the spring-hinge connection, as seen in Fig. 4. At this open side, the left in Figs. 2 and 4, the lower or clamping plate 2 projects somewhat beyond the gage-plate, and by preference its edge will be made convex, as seen at 3 in Fig. 2, and be sharpened, so that it may be used as a means for slitting the tympan. The spring-hinge connection of the plates 1 and 2 may be conveniently constructed as herein shownthat is to say, the margin of the gage-plate is turned up slightly, as clearly shown at 3/ in Fig. 4, and the plate 2 has a spring-finger A, which is made to take over and embrace the said turned-up edge of the upper plate. This has the effect to hold open the clamping-plates a little at their free edges.

On the gage-plate 1 is the gage-head 5, which is formed by bending the forward end of said plate, as shown in Fig. 3, somewhat in the form of an arch and closing the ends of the arch by integral flaps 6, which are bent backward, as seen in Fig. 2. Fig. 6 shows the shape of the gage-plate before the gage-head is formed thereon. The turned-back flaps of the gage-head prevent the sheets from catching on itin feeding, and the tapered or rounded edges of the flaps prevent the head from catching in the tympan in setting and adjusting the gage.

In the lower clamping-plate 2 are fixed two screws 7, which extend upthrough apertures in the gageplate and have on their upper ends nuts 8.

The gage is or may be provided with a stripper 9, frictionally held by the forced-up clip 10 on the gage-plate. The stripper is not in itself a new feature in this class of devices.

The gage may be mounted on and secured to the tympan in the manner following: A slit .9 is produced in the tympan, extending up and down said sheet. The gage is placed by passing the lower plate 2 through said slit 8 sidewise and bringing the margins of the paper at the slit up between the plates to the screws 7. The gage is shifted along the slit until the face of the gage-head is at the line where the lower edge of the sheet S is to come, and there, by means of the nuts 8, the plates 1 and 2 are caused to clamp firmly on the tympan at the margin of the slit.

It will be noted that in the construction described the mouth of the clamp or opening between the jaws of the same formed by the plates 1 and 2 is lateral or at one side of the gage and that the screws 7 are also situated at one side of the gage. This permits the two clamping-screws, which are alined with the slit 8, to grip the two plates together at two points and at different distances from the gage-head. It also permits the gage to be shifted along the slit as far as may be desired without weakening the grip of the gage on the tympan, as the screws maybe alined with the slit,and to whatever extent the gage may be moved along the slit it will be obvious that the jaws of the clamp will or may embrace the tympan to the same extent. Another important advantage is that the slit in the tympan extends in the direction-in which the adjust ment is made and preferably at right angles to the face of the gage-head, and the extent of adjustment is only limited by the length of the slit, while the clamping-point in whatever position the gage is set along the slit will always be efficient. This disposition of the slit, which will be under the clamping-nuts, preserves the tympan against injurious slitting, which makes it useless for succeeding jobs. As the forward end 11 of the clamping-plate 2 extends to or even a little beyond the face of the gage-head 5, as seen in Figs. 2 and 3, and this extremity, which is reduced in width, engages a slight recess in the bottom of the gage-head, as seen best in Fig. 5, the tympan at this point will be drawn up into this recess and the sheet S thus effectually prevented from getting under the gagehead in feeding.

The spring-hinge device et is not an absolute necessity, as the screws 7 are situated near this lateral edge or side of the gage and will hold the plates in place and produce good results.

The slits 8 may be long or short, as required, and there may be as many as required. A line drawn through the screws 7 will always be at an angle to the face of the gagehead, and usually at a right angle thereto, or

nearly so, and in setting the gage it is preferable to bring the margin of the tympan at the slit 8 up against said screws.

It should be understood that what has been referred to as hinging the plates 1 and 2 together is not necessarily a hinge, but rather a loose connection. The screws will serve to keep the plates in place relatively to each other.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. A feed-gage having an upper and under clamping-plate coupled loosely together at one side so that they may move toward each other for clamping, a screw on the under plate which projects upward through the upper plate, a nut on the said screw which bears on the upper plate for clamping the plates together on the margins of a slit in the tympan, and a gage-head carried by the upper plate, the face of said gage-head being disposed at an angle with the slit in the tympan.

2. A feed-gage, having an upper and an under clamping-plate, hinged together at their sides, a gage-head integral with the upper clamping-plate and movable therewith for adjustment, and non-yielding means for pressing said plates together for securing the gage in place.

3. A feed-gage, having an upper and an under clamping-plate, hinged together at their sides, a gage-head integral with the upper clamping-plate and movable therewith for adjustment on the platen, and two screws which clamp the said plates, the screws being at substantially equal distances from the hinging axis.

4. A feed-gage comprising a gage-plate provided with a gage-head at its end, a clampingplate beneath the gage-plate and having a hinged connection thereto at one side of the plates, screws for pressing said plates together, and a spring device which holds the jaws open normally.

5. A feed-gage comprising the gage-plate 1, provided witha gage-head at its end and bent up at g on its hinging margin, the clampingplate 2, provided with a spring-finger 4, which extends over the margin of the gage-plate at y, the screws 7, fixed in the plate 2 near its hinged side and extending up through apertures in the gage-plate, and the nuts on said screws, said plate having a part 3 projecting beyond the lateral margin of the gage-plate.

6. A feed-gage having a gage-plate, a gagehead thereon, a clamping plate under the gage-plate, the forward end of which is adapted to engage a recess in the under side of the gage-head, and means for clamping said plates together, the clamping-plates being hinged together at one side and having the hinging axis at an angle to the face of the gage-head.

7. A feed-gage having a gage-plate,a clamping-plate beneath the gage-plate and hinged thereto, a gage-head connected to and moving with the gage-plate for adjustment, the face of said gage-head being disposed at an angle to the plane of the hinging axis of the plates, and a plurality of screws which clamp the plates together, said screws being disposed in a line which is at an angle to the face of the gage-head, substantially as set forth.

8. 'A feed-gage, having an upper and under clamping-plate, said plates being connected along one side by two clamping-screws, and adapted to embrace the tympan-sheet along the margin of a slit therein, and .the said screws, disposed in a line substantially parallel to said slit and at an angle to the sheet fed'to the gage. 4

9. A feed-gage having an upper and under clamping-plate coupled loosely together at one side so that they will be parallel at all times in clamping, a screw on the lower plate and eX- tending through the upper plate, a nut on said screw which bears on the upper plate for clamping the plates on the margin of a slit in EDWARD L. MEGILL.

Witnesses:

HENRY CONNETT, PETER A. Boss. 

